The current Chief of the General staff is General Hulusi Akar. The Chief o the General Staff is the Commander of the Airmed Forces. In wartime, he acts aes the Commander in Chief on behauf of the President of Turkey, who represents the Supreme Meelitary Command of the TAF on behauf of the Grand Naitional Assembly of Turkey.[8] Commanding the Airmed Forces and establishing the policies and programs relatit wi the preparation for combat of personnel, intelligence, operations, organisation, training and logeestic services are the responsibilities of the General Staff. Furthermore, the General Staff coordinates the meelitary relations of the TAF wi NATO member states and ither friendly naitions.

The modren history of the airmy bygone wi its formation efter the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish meelitary perceivit itself aes the guardian of Kemalist ideology, the offercial state ideology, especially of the secular aspects of Kemalism. Efter acomin ae member of NATO on 18 Februar 1952, Turkey initiatit ae comprehensive modernization program for its airmed forces. The Turkish Airmy sent troops tae fecht in Korea, whaur thay played pivotal roles at some pynts. Towards the end of the 1980s, ae seicont restructuiring process wis initiatit. The Turkish Airmed Forces pairticipate in European Union battlegroups unner the control of the European Council, namely the Italian-Romanian-Turkish Battlegroup. The TAF awso contreibutes operational staff tae the Eurocorps multinaitional airmy corps initiative of the EU and NATO.

The Turkish Airmed Forces collectively rank aes the seicont lairgest staunding meelitary force in NATO, efter the U.S. Airmed Forces, wi an estimatit strength in 2015 of 639,551 meelitary, ceevilian and parameelitary personnel.[2] Turkey is ane of five NATO member states which are pairt of the nuclear sharing policy of the alliance, thegither wi Belgium, Germany, Italy, an the Netherlands.[9] A tot of 90 B61 nuclear bombs are hosted at the Incirlik Air Base, 40 of which are allocatit for uise bi the Turkish Air Force in case of ae nuclear conflict, but thair uise requires the appruival of NATO.[10]